Very Bad Elf

Would you look at that? Just when you thought the Christmas season was over, there's one last Christmas beer waiting for you. Dan's roommate Steve surprised us each with a large bottle of Very Bad Elf. Last month I posted my review of Insanely Bad Elf, which comes from the same brewer, Ridgeway Brewing. As I said before, each beer in their Christmas line is completely different, and this one is an English Pale Ale. Other examples of this style are Samuel Smith's Pale Ale, Bass Pale Ale, and Old Speckled Hen. Typically it will be a little on the bitter side, with fruity, malty, earthy, or buttery aromas.

The beer poured a reddish-amber color, and had a half finger head that was white and frothy. The bubbles in it were somewhat large, and it left decent lacing as I went through the glass.

The smell wasn't all that strong, but I did noticed a bit of flowery esters to the smell. Overall I just got the impression that the smell was a little on the bitter side. It was definitely subdued though.

The taste of the beer was initially sweet on the tip of the tongue, and it did have a slightly flowery taste to it as well. This translated to bitterness a little further back on the tongue. I also noted a bit of spice in it, which definitely added to the Christmas feel of it. The flavor was definitely not too intense, in fact it was a bit on the weak side, and definitely had some watery flavors to it. It was still good though, and seemed a nice change from some of the stronger and robust Christmas beers I had this year. It definitely would have been a good introductory beer to the Christmas season rather than a way to finish it out.

The beer had a medium-light body with moderate carbonation. There wasn't any coating on the mouth to speak of; and unlike the other Christmas beers I've had I didn't notice any warming sensation to it. It is a bit lower on the ABV than many of the other Christmas beers, but it's 7.5% so it's still pretty strong. Seeing as how it comes in a large 1 pint, 9 oz bottle, you definitely get a good bit of alcohol with the whole thing. The beer was also very refreshing, and fell more to the wet side.

Overall the drinkability was pretty good. It wasn't my favorite Christmas beer, but it definitely had it's own place. The flavor was unique and not overpowering, and it was pretty easy to drink. I liked the subdued spice flavor it had as some of the Christmas beers can be a little too overt in that area. This could easily be a year-round beer, although not quite to the extent of the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

- Adam